The 9Th Scroll: Sundering of The Giant Isles Pt.3

THE 9TH
SCROLL
ISSUE #010 - JULY 2018
SUNDERING OF THE GIANT ISLES PT.3
HOMEBREW: SCENARIO PACK
THE 9TH AGE PRESENTS: ART CONTEST #1
PIRATES PERIL
EDITOR’S NOTE
Welcome back to another action packed 9th Scroll. I was tasked with building a Gnasher Wrecking team
This month is a little different to the usual compli- for Ulrik’s (from the Ammertime Podcast) Orcs and
ment of articles. We have a lot of previews for what is Goblins army. I am looking forward to when he names
to come in the next few months. While I don’t want to the happy chappy and I get to shoot him off with my
tease you too much in the editorial, phrases such as pew-pew elves!
“Orclympics”, “Pirates Peril Minigame”, and “Demon
I also was tasked to build some Japanese-themed
Legions on the Horizon” should put a little excitement
into reading this issue. Pterodon riders which was quite fun! The colours
were especially fun to work with as they are ones I
All of these projects are underway and I hope that don’t usually work with, which was quite refreshing.
in the next issue, we will be able to have two mini I usually prefer to convert bigger models than skinks,
games to unveil along with a comprehensive sneak but the tiny guys were again something a little more
peek into the Demon Legions Full Army Book. The two different and I am quite happy with the end result.
mini games in particular are games I am very excited
about. I think skirmish games and side-games are a
great way to get people who usually wouldn’t be in-
terested in 9th age rolling dice and into the hobby.
Clearly the rest of the 9th Age Staff have been busier
than me in the last two months. I have managed very
little in the way of 9th Age, however, I have been do-
ing some commission work. I don’t normally do this
line of work but it is a nice way for me of working with
armies that I don’t own models for. I wouldn’t say the
money is great but it’s nice to get a bit of beer money
for doing something you enjoy! It is also important to be aware that some people are
gamers primarily and would prefer not to paint their
own figures. In general, I would say the 9th Scroll is a
magazine focused primarily on hobby. However, there
are players out there who we don’t always connect
with because they are interested in primarily in the
game and the rules. I don’t necessarily think this is a
bad thing, as it’s just something different. While we,
and I myself for certain, tend to gravitate towards
hobby elements there are others who are invested in
9th Age purely for the game-play.
- HPM
Layout and creation of the Scroll

Spiritual Father - Blonde Beer
Document Layout - Henry Peter Miller (henrypmiller) & Remy Manuel (cyprinus)
the 9th Age

website: www.the-ninth-age.com
email: scroll@the-ninth-age.com
Issue Date
July 2018
2
CONTENTS
THE 9TH AGE PRESENTS:

04
ART CONTEST #1
PIRATES PERIL 08
BACKGROUND TEAM Q & A:

ASK THE SAGE 12
HOMEBREW: SCENARIO PACK 16
SUNDERING OF THE GIANT ISLES PT.3 18
ARMY SHOWCASE 36
MAKING TERRAIN FOR THE 9TH AGE 48
HOME BREW: SPECIAL AND

LEGENDARY CHARACTERS
54
TOURNAMENTS FOR
THE NEW HOBBYIST
61
3
THE 9TH AGE PRESENTS:
ART CONTEST #1 Article by Norn Clansmen
Warriors of the Dark Gods are a constant presence all throughout the 9th Age world. Cults to the Dark Gods
arise in harsh nomadic societies pushed to the margins by settled peoples. The Dark Gods have taken root
among Hakim Nomads in the Great Deserts, Silexian tribes, Åskland raiders, and among barbarians roving
along the outskirts of the blasted Wasteland. Their presence has been felt even among depraved or dissatis-
fied “civilized” people trading away their souls for a shot at immortality.
The theme for this competition is: “Warriors of the

Dark Gods Versus Others.”
All of this means as a hobbyist you shouldn’t be shy
of inventing your own takes on anything concerning
Warriors of the Dark Gods, including wild high fanta-
sy concepts and glancing at real-life tribes for inspi-
ration. You can do the most outlandish stuff and be
welcome to root your Warriors in local cultures never
before seen illustrated in pact with such dark forces.
Warriors of the Dark Gods wallow in sin, while their

Sorcerers follow no God at all. These are the sigils of
their baleful deities:
What are we Looking For?

Entries could range from duels between individuals
to full-blown land battles; monstrous air combat; sor-
cerous struggle or naval clashes on the high seas; or
something else entirely.
This can be done by drawing, sketching or painting it

(i.e. no miniature entries). Digital tools are allowed,
and some scribblings as seen on many concept
sketches are likewise allowed, but please keep any
text amount low. The amount of work invested in the
art entry can vary from a simple sketch up to a full-
blown illustration. Flat embroidered textile art (e.g.
in Bayeux tapestry style) close-up shots and flat relief
carvings are allowed, but for these materials you’re
4
encouraged to first ask the contest organizer with Prizes

some details explaining your plans. Note that sever- The gold winner will recieve a Warriors of the Dark
al different art pieces are allowed to be included in Gods Wasteland Dragon from Creature caster and
one and the same image file entry, e.g. two different one kit of 12 unpainted Slave Orc Heads:
painted illustrations, or a bunch of sketches leading
up to an inked drawing. Sheer mass is no guarantee
for advantage in voting, however.
If you are unsure if your entry will fit the subject mat-
ter, then please contact Karak Norn Clansman and
he’ll sort it out with you and the staff. https://www.creaturecaster.com/products/pos-
sessed-dragon
Rules of the Competition

• The deadline for the submission of entries is the Furthermore, the silver winner will receive one kit of
26th of August 2018 at 11:59pm EST. 2 unpainted Hobgoblin Slavedrivers:
• Each member may only enter once.
• Sketch, draw, paint and use digital tools to come
up with artwork or concept image(s) for Warriors
of the Dark Gods versus others.
• Submissions should include one picture file only.
Your one picture file with art may contain any
number of objects, figures and scenes.
• You may not submit a picture of a drawing or
painting that have been entered into other online
competitions or posted in a finished state before.
• Don’t post your entries in the forum before the
contest is over.
• By entering this contest, you give everyone in
general, and T9A in particular, rights to use your
entered artwork. See also the General Rules &
Guidelines on the forum thread for this compe- And the bronze winner will receive 1 unpainted Elf
tition. Heavy Archer:
How to Enter?
Submit your entry by uploading one image file to the
contest gallery on the forum. Please do not send an
e-mail to any of the admin or staff accounts as this
will likely result in having your entry missed or acci-
dentally looked over. If you have problems finding the
gallery, contact Karak Norn Clansmen.
How will this be judged? While one random entrant will win a kit of 4 unpaint-
By the due date, the forum software will automati- ed Tjubling Fireguard Hammers:
cally post an update in the competition thread, open-
ing the gallery for voting, afterwards all T9A users can
then rank the entries.
Good luck everyone!
Note: should you wish to donate a prize to this or fu-

ture contests, please PM Henrypmiller.
5
And I saw when the Swan opened one of the seals, and I heard as
if it were the noise of thunder, one of the seven beasts beckoning,
“Come and see.”
And I saw a white daemon before me and it came from Savar as

an Omen of his majesty; and a crown was given unto him and
he went forth conquering and towards conquest. Sneering at the
lesser mortals, he sought out always the most potent foes to battle
and to slay.
And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast
call to me, “Come and see.”
And there went out another daemon that was red: and power
was given to her by Vanadra to take peace from the earth that
she should kill any mortal who opposed her. And there was given
unto her great wings and always she allowed her enemies to strike,
before cleaving them in twain like cloth.
And when he had opened the third seal I heard the third beast
say, “Come and see.” And I beheld and lo a black daemon and it
was he who had Sugulag’s scales in his hand.
And I heard a voice in the midst of the beasts say, “A measure of

wheat for a penny and three measures of barley for a penny and
see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” And I saw a corpulent
mass, which none could harm or penetrate, a Miser clutching at
lives like coins.
And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the
fourth beast call unto me, “Come and see.”
And I looked and behold a pale daemon and the name that sat
on her was Watcher and the magics of Hell followed with her.
Vulture’s wings covered her face of Strix and Eye of Nukuja and
she stood as Sentinel, channeling the powers fantastic.
6
And when he had opened the fifth seal I saw under the altar the
souls of them that Cibaresh took for their mortal lusts. And there
above them was a golden daemon, his humming claws were scythes
to cares, and his trembling height was a blur.
And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and, lo, there was
a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth and
the moon became as blood. And I saw a daemon of shifting hues
taking the form of they whom he deceived. And all around was the
madness of Kuulima’s jealous mimicry.
And when he had opened the seventh seal, I heard the seventh
beast say, “Come and see the End.” And verily before me was the
devourer, a mindless daemon. And it had a maw that consumed
everything in its path, growing in size with the rending of its jaws.
And its impulse was Akaan, the Insatiable.
“For the great day of the dark ones is come; and who shall be able
to stand?”
And power was given unto them over the Mother’s earth, to kill
with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts
of the Veil Beyond.
From the Book of Conspiracy, Chapter 6,

taken from the Sunna Cycle
7
PIRATES PERIL
Article by Blonde Beer
8
Pirates Peril is a game I created with my 7-year-old son to fill a need we had in our hobby life. Games like The
9th Age: Fantasy Battles are just too complex for him to understand and appreciate. Even some other skirmish
games have too many unique rules for him to be fully immersed. But boy, is he interested in wargames! So,
we sat down and started creating our own little game. We both share a love for everything pirate and so the
theme was easily found, together with some cool models to paint and play.
We created our own little gaming board (you can

find it in my blog at the 9th age forum) and then we
started creating the rules. It’s a skirmish game, using
a simplified version of the main T9A ruleset. My hope
is that when he gets older, it’s easier for him to switch
to the “big boy game.”
Since, I have too much time on my hands right now, I

decided to take the basic rules we made up and make
a small rulebook. I added some more complex ele-
ments for regular gamers and included some unique
T9A background material (approved by Scottish
Knight from our Background Team). The current rule
set is perfect if you want to play a short game or play a
small campaign with friends or family. Just gather your
pirate crew of Elves, Dwarfs, Humans, Undead, Ogres,
or Greenhides and try to find some loot and pillage in
the Archipelago. Don’t worry if you want a different
crew, I’ll add more Pirate Bands in the future!
9
PIRATES PERIL
10
I will start public playtesting sometime in the upcom-

ing weeks, but you can find a short summary of the
background and some battle reports on the Pirates
Peril youtube channel.
My main hope with this little side project is to give

people a game they can have fun with children or fam-
ily members that know very little about wargames. It’s
also a good excuse to get hold of some awesome pi-
rate models! I’m planning on bringing Pirates Peril to
a couple of European wargaming/miniature events to
showcase that T9A doesn’t need to be just a tourna-
ment game but that it can fill the hobby need for all
kinds of players. It also demonstrates that T9A does
not have to be just one type of game either, but if it
doesn’t work out, at least me and my son will have https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzdq8D7WXc-
had a blast playing it! qBH56apEbOWXw
11
BACKGROUND TEAM Q & A:
ASK THE SAGE Article by Scottish Knight
Why do the Vermin Swarm have such an affinity for bells?

Stories vary as to why those men-sized rats took such a liking to bells that they would create instru-
ments of magic and war from them, bringing them to bear in Sunna's time.
Some claim they took the symbols from the temples of Avras, the city of their "birth" and put them
to use in all their terrible rites. Certainly, it is true to say there have been many groups of vermin
displaying the arms and armour of that noble city.
Another theory tells that in the Deeps, where few save dwarves and rats dare to tread, light sources
are few and far between. Fire can turn air to poison or ignite pockets of gas with deadly consequenc-
es. In that world, messages can be communicated better by sound than using visible methods.
For myself, it could be a combination of both, or perhaps they simply stumbled upon a magical
ritual using a bell and decided to keep it. Whatever the reasons, no one can dispute that blood runs
cold at the sound of those tolling bells.
Do female greenhides and ogres exist?

What a horrible thought - I've never had call to look that closely!
Still, most experts agree, they must have females of some sort to breed. Ogres, being most similar in
appearance to our own kin, do have visible females of their kind. There seems to be little separation
in their cultural roles compared to most humans. They even use similar pronouns.
Orcs and goblins are another matter entirely. Their breeding habits are not something I, n or any
outsiders within my experience, are familiar with. Indeed, orcs and goblins have a tendency to ap-
pear to spring from the very ground, appearing in untold numbers where before there was nothing.
I have never observed any physical differences and those few times I've had call to speak with one of
them, gender politics were far from my mind. So, for that truth you'd have to spend more time with
their kind - best of luck!
When did the Naptaan Empire fall?

Before Sonnstahl was founded, calendars were disparate and difficult to reconcile. Prior to Avras'
creation, Naptesh was the only human nation which possessed the learning to record and pass on a
detailed history. Between the fall of both empires, much of what we may have known was lost.
Some has been reconstructed of course, but precise dates remain a mystery for the most part. Still,
we do know it occurred in the Third Age and while the Ages are not of a standard length, several
thousand years have passed since that time.
Are the elven gods Nyb and Nabh one and the same?
It seems some of my readers wish to see me struck with divine wrath, debating matters of the Gods!
An elven expert might be needed to give a definitive answer to such a question - presuming such an
expert could be found and persuaded to divulge their knowledge.
12
For my own part, I see Nyb and Nabh used by different elven cultures, for deities of a similar
nature. Are they the same god in different forms, or different gods adopting a similar mask? Such
questions are beyond academic study to provide simple answers. In matters of the Immortal, faith
has a significant role to play.
Are all the beings we call gods Supernals, including for example Sunna and Cadaron?
Yet another dangerous question. Supernal is a term applied to creatures of the Immortal Realm -
home of the Gods. In simple terms, it would seem an accurate descriptor.
Then again, the Gods are unlikely to take well to being conflated with others any more than a King
likes being compared to a peasant.
In summary - however you choose to address a God, do not bring my name into it!
Is a Warrior heretic walking the Path of the Favoured at constant risk of slipping down
to the Path of the Exiled, or is the risk only when trying to advance to the next step on
the ladder?
Having checked my office for over-zealous Inquisitors, I can provide something of an answer. I have
witnessed the punishment of those followers of the Dark Gods for all manner of infractions. From
the lowest of their kind to Lords prophesied for greatness, it appears there is no place for them to hide
from failure and a fall can come at any time to any Warrior.
What is the Society of Eichtal?

I think you mean the Imperial Society of Eichtal, an academic institution dedicated to magic and
its more esoteric applications. Where most universities offer a curriculum spanning philosophy, nat-
ural sciences, history and the like, Eichtal considers itself a private association and there are many
who would fall over themselves at the possibility of joining those pompous fools.
Myself? No, I would not accept membership even if offered and don't let Habermann tell you oth-
erwise. Ever since I disproved his theory of micro-breaches in the Veil being a viable form of energy,
he's held a grudge against me. Application letter you say? Well he must have forged it! Yes that's
it! Anyway, enough of that!
Where were you born Herr Selig? What is your nationality, culture and political alle-
giance?
At last, a truly worthwhile question! In truth I am something of a Vetian crossbreed. I was born in
Guenac, the child of a lady in waiting to an Equitan Duchess and a merchant from Arcalea. In the
years that followed, I was raised in cities all across Vetia while my parents travelled.
My father's coin purchased tuition in some fine universities, while my experiences as a child stood
me in good stead to travel the world. In the years that followed I transcribed my experiences and
brought them back to my homelands, in the hope that they might serve as illumination against the
darkness of ignorance.
Now I reside in Avras, when not travelling, and I find it still stands as a beacon of what mortals
can achieve, and I wish to be part of its legend.
13
BACKGROUND TEAM Q & A: ASK THE SAGE
In the WDG book, is the cover art and the art on pages 24 and 29 supposed to depict Šiva Yanovich? In the
WDG book, is the art on page 51 supposed to depict Lukas Yanovich?
Neither the art nor the story were designed to be specifically tied to one another, but there is a strong mutual
inspiration. For example, much of the description of Šiva was improved by the fantastic cover art. So, while
they aren’t specific to those works, they can easily be seen as representative of the characters.
14
Who is the mother of Henry the Young?

It is not currently specified but expect to see more information about Henry in the full KoE book!
15
HOMEBREW: SCENARIO PACK
Article by Henrypmiller
This article is an attempt to give gamers inspiration this summer by playing with some alternative scenarios.
These scenarios have been play tested extensively and have had some good feedback, so I am quite confident
that they are both fun and balanced. Let us know what you think
Scenario 1: Conquest Scenario 2: Keep it secret!
Push the opponent from the field of battle! Destroy Deployment:

his army and gain glory! Randomise deployment as usual
Deployment: Secondary Objective:

Split the table equally into 4 quarters (see diagram). Choose from one of the three objectives below. Write
Roll off to decide who chooses which quarter to de- the number of the objective down on a piece of pa-
ploy in. The other player must deploy in the opposite per. Keep it secret (put it under a piece of terrain, seal
quarter. Deployment sequence as normal. Units must it in an envelope, etc..). At the end of the game, reveal
be placed at least 9” away from the middle. your objective to your opponent.
Secondary Objective: 1. Kill the enemy general.

The winner is the player who has the most scenario 2. Kill more scoring units than your opponent.
points. Win scenario points by having more scoring 3. “Hold the centre” of the battlefield with more
units in the relevant table quarter at the end of the scoring units within 6” at the end of the game.
game. Units within 9” of the center cannot be scoring.
The player who achieves their objective wins the sec-
Scoring units with their footprint in two quarters can ondary objective. If both players achieve or fail to
only count as scoring in 1 quarter (controlling player achieve their objective, the scenario is a draw.
decides).
Opponents deployment quarter - 3 scenario points.

Your own deployment quarter - 1 scenario points.
The two adjacent quarters - 2 scenario points.
16
Scenario 3: Capture Scenario 4: Arcane Fulcrums
You are required to take a key strategic position. If The Battlefield lies on an ancient Arcane Fulcrum. The
you can hold a strong line all along the battlefield, Veil’s membrane is paper-thin at certain places. This
the enemy can be defeated and driven off. allows those with aptitude for sorcerous arts to draw
power from the veil…. if they dare get close enough
Deployment: to the rifts.
Used the Classic deployment
Deployment:
Before deployment, the player who chose which side Use the Refused Flank deployment
to deploy places an objective marker. Place the mark-
er anywhere on the board, outside your own deploy- Secondary Objective:
ment zone and more than 18” from the short edges Secure target. Wizards within 6” of the objectives gain
of the table. The other player then places their own +1 to cast and dispel to a maximum of +3. Any mis-
objective marker. This must be placed exactly 30” casts count as rolling an additional MDU when rolling
from the opponent’s marker (this can be in your own on the Miscast Table. This bonus to cast is not taken
deployment zone). A third objective is placed in the into account when casting bound spells. However, the
middle of the two markers (15” from either). bonus can be added when dispelling bound spells.
Markers cannot be placed within impassible terrain.

If placing the second objective means that the third
will be placed on impassible terrain, it must be placed
again in a legal position.
Starting from the second player’s second turn, if either

player at the end of any player turn controls all three
markers, that player immediately wins the Secondary
Objective. If all three markers are not controlled by
any player at the end of any player turn during the
game, the player who at the end of the game controls
the most markers wins the Secondary Objective.
A marker is considered controlled by the player with

the most Scoring Units within 6” of the marker.
If a unit is within 6” of two markers, it only counts as

within 6” of the marker which is closest to its center
(You may choose which objective if both markers are
equally close).
17
Article by Paul Godbold & Tony Hayle
This is the third part of a three-part feature created by Tony and Paul from the Fantasy Wargaming Podcast.
They have been looking at alternative ways of playing 9th Age and this mini narrative campaign has served
as an expansion to the current scenarios and a fun way to give more meaning and character to your games.
In this game we used our armies from the last game with an additional 1500 points. Also, we used the alter-
native scenarios in the previous homebrew section as inspiration. We chose the scenario that best fitted our
narrative. Whilst the current scenarios are balanced and effective during a tournament, it is nice to have a
number of alternatives to choose from when playing a relaxed game with your friend, chum, buddy, pal or
whipping boy!
EVOCATION
Tmoonlight while his recent wounds, although healing, burned his corporeal form.
Varg sat in the
his is the path of the world lying behind the mirror of life! There’s no secret beyond death hidden to
us, for we are the Lords of the Souls! We know the Hidden One himself, for we are the masters of the
most secret essences! We know the Truth of Names.
Twice he had been bettered by the upstart usurper. Twice he had felt the pain of defeat and
— Grimoire of the Lords of Souls, by Stephen “The Mad” Madwers
witnessed the crushing of his forces. Twice it had been necessary to flee to save himself, leaving
his minions to crumble on the battlefield.
To judge from my experiences, we, the wan-
derers on the Path of Evocation, are among
He crouched the onmost
the disquieting
rocky outcrop,
of all theunnaturally
magicians and
still as he considered the truth
sorcerers. Stories learned
are told from
across the the
world
peasant livestock. The treasure of the Giant Isle
about our mesmerizing gaze, our disturbing
wasn’t fiscal. look
Heinto
hadthealways
eye of the enemies, for we are
known this. There
able to gaze into the connection between
was no chest ofthe soul of a creaturetrinkets
gold, no petty of interest
and the abyss. There
to the mere mortals. Instead,
is truth to he had
some of these beensouls
claims, hereare
for
the remains of the many dead giants, planning
the very essence of a living creature, and an
Evoker knows well how to call, weaken or
to add their power to them.
strengthen his forces, enabling him to
finally crushThe
thediscipline
despotofVon Burg.
Evocation However,
is based on the
recent findings
force told of a fabled
lying beyond the realmtreasure;
of death, the its
worth beyond measure. A tear in the Veil. A
root of life itself, the power governing the
existence of a living creature, including Time
stable rift between thecapacity
itself and its physical and the
to consume magical
body
realms which,ofifthat
controlled
creature. Whenor channelled, would
some of this power
offer immeasurable
leaks intopower to any
the material worldbeing
it will strong
incar-
nate as a body made of flesh and bones from
enough to harness it.
either a man or beast, and it becomes its own
individual force. It is this force that sustains
As the night drew to anbody
the material end andandgives
the afirst
livinglight
crea-of
dawn turned the horizon a red glow, Varg strode
ture its consciousness and soul. Although
unique, these souls are still recognisable by
towards the sanctuary
a sound, known of tothe cave
older entrance.
magicians as theirA
nefarious planTruewas forming. If he could control
Name.
the rift, he would be able to
We are commonly increase
named Lords ofhis power
the Souls,
immeasurably, far more than any meagre giant
as we can evoke, bolster or cripple the soul
of others and even, in some cases, evoke life-
could offer. forces
His frompetty
the struggle
lands of thewith the Von
dead, thanks to
Burgs was now a secondary
our knowledge of True consideration
Names and the for-as
true power was finally
bidden within
sounds. his the
Mastering reach.
knowledge of
the essence of death, it serves us more as re-
source than limitation.
— Honorius the Grim, The Book of Souls
18
Evocation 20 Magic Paths
Scenario Special Rules
There are five Power Locus’s deployed on the table. One in the middle, the other four 18” diagonally towards
the middle from each corner of the table.
The victor is the player who controls the most Power Locus’s when the game ends. A Power Locus is controlled
if a wizard is occupying the locus.
The game ends after Turn 4 on a 6+. Turn 5 on a 5+, Turn 6 on a 4+ and, if still going, at the end of Turn 7.
Deployment follows the rules for Encircle (see main rule book).
Power Locus’s count as impassable terrain with the A unit may charge a Wizard on a Power Locus how-
following rules: ever, only a single model may fight in close combat.
• Only a single model with the ‘Wizard’ key word Should the Wizard be killed or flee the Power Locus,
may occupy a Power Locus. Once occupied, a only a Wizard may take their place. Any other model
Power Locus is considered to be ‘Controlled’. should be returned to their unit. Characters may be
• A model on a Power Locus gains Gigantic and Tall placed 1” away. Should the charging unit fail to re-
unit sizes. move the Wizard from the Power Locus, place them
• A model on a Power Locus gains a 3+ Aegis save, 1” away from the locus in the direction they came
is immune to Multiple Wounds, is Immune to Psy- from.
chology and gains Stubborn.
• A wizard on a Power Locus can cast spells with no • A Wizard cannot march onto a Power Locus.
dice cap. • Should a miscast be suffered when on a Power Lo-
• A wizard on a Power Locus adds +X to their casting cus, resolve the result of the normal miscast first
and dispelling attempts where X is the number of and then roll on the following table, even if the
player-controlled Power Locus’s. caster is already dead. Apply the result immedi-
• Any Wizard on a Power Locus gain the following ately:
two Bound Spells:
Roll a D6. If 3 dice were rolled for the casting attempt,
1. Duel – Bound 4/8. The Wizard nominates an subtract 1 from the result. If 5 or more dice were
enemy wizard on another Power Locus on the table. rolled add 1 to the result.
Both players roll 2D6 with the casting Wizard adding
X to the roll; X being the number of Power Locus’s 0 The Dice God’s are smiling…
Controlled by the casting player. In the event of a tie You may choose from the below results (still roll any
or the casting player rolling less than their opponent, random effects).
nothing happens. Should the casting player roll high-
er, the target Wizard is placed 1” from the Locus they 1-2 WHOOOSH!
were occupying (player controlling the wizard may All casters occupying a power locus are teleported to
decide where) and takes 1 wound with no saves of a random unoccupied one! Start with the caster of
any kind allowed. the spell.
2. Summon Giant – Bound 4/8. The Wizard 3 Brain Drain…

summons a Giant of their choice from any available The caster forgets D3 spells (starting with the spell
army book. It can be upgraded as normally allowed. being miscast), this can include losing the two Power
The Giant is placed 1” from any Controlled Power Lo- Locus Bound spells (which won’t come back if you re-
cus. mount a Locus). If the caster has no spells left to cast,
they also lose channel and are required to leave the
Power Locus. If the caster is already dead, ignore this
result.
19
4 RIBBIT! 6 Treachery!
D6 random casters occupying Power Locus’s (starting In a moment of clarity, the miscasting Wizard sees
with the miscasting mage) are turned into frogs! All your command as folly and immediately switches
stats are set to 1 (apart from HP which stay the same) sides and is now part of your opponent’s army! (If
and they cannot use items, cast/dispel magic or chan- they’re already dead, bring them back with 1HP).
nel although they can stay on the Power Locus (cos
they’re magical frogs!). The Wizards can transform 7 BOOM!!!!
back to normal if the controlling player sacrifices two The Power Locus explodes, blowing the casting Wiz-
casting/dispel dice (per frog) at the start of any magic ard into a low orbit (an Aegis save doesn’t protect you
phase. from a spacewalk, they’re dead!) Remove the Pow-
er Locus and occupying Wizard. Any unit within 2D6”
5 Spite of the Gods! takes 2D6 hits at strength X+3 and AP X (X being the
The caster turns into a wretched one (refer to the number of dice used to cast the spell).
Warriors of the Dark Gods army book). As they are
no longer a Wizard, they must immediately leave the Note - Due to the size of the game (6,000pts), we
Power Locus. If the caster is already dead from the opted to increase the number of magic dice generat-
normal miscast result, randomly choose another Wiz- ed each turn. Draw a Veil Card as normal but double
ard (can be from either army) occupying a Power Lo- the values on the card. A maximum of 15 Veil Tokens
cus to be transformed in their place. may be exchanged for power dice (at the normal ex-
change rate of 3 Veil Tokens for 1 Magic Dice) with a
maximum of 6 Veil Tokens being carried over into a
Conclusions game 1 (Scroll Issue #008) subsequent magic phase.
Tony: Well that was a shock ending! I think we were
all surprised what happened in the final turn.
The game hadn’t started well for me. By carefully

ignoring the scenario when writing my list, I ended
up with a gun line which couldn’t shoot in turn 1. To
make matters worse, I had Rangers and Reiters op-
erating in isolation with frenzy. You could see Paul’s
frustration when one unit of Reiters passed their dis-
cipline 5 test 2 turns in a row to prevent themselves
from charging his waiting Varkolak!
The first couple of turns didn’t inspire confidence as

I was struggling to cause any real damage and Paul
Paul: Well that was bloody! I was quite confident
kept his line together. The one notable exception was
after the first few turns. The reduced range from the
the Shrieking Horror which flew in front of the Knights
scenario meant that Tony’s shooting was out for at
of the Sun Griffon and only did a single wound with its
least one turn. Turn 2 saw his poor dice form contin-
shriek. I then got a little jammy and killed it in a single
ue. My main issue was controlling my low discipline
turn of combat which left the flank wide open.
army that was all frenzied and baying for blood!
This was a sideshow to the table centre. The Flag-
The chaff running off was a pain and the Shrieking
ellants smashing the depleted Ghouls and tying up
Horror did really badly. The Knights of the Sun Grif-
the bats and general offered me the chance for a long
fon went mental and rolled twelve hits with their nine
charge on the Zombies. Obviously, I got the 11 I need-
attacks (battle focus), wounding with five! The game
ed and forced through all my spells to crush all the
really spun on its head though when Tony made an
remaining undead units in a turn.
11” charge into the Zombies and that was that. His
mage then compounded the matter with some outra-
A tactical lesson can be learnt from my game; if you’re
geous casting last turn, forcing all three spells through
losing a game, just try to focus on rolling better dice
and sealing the fate of my battered army!
than your opponent and everything will be fine!
20
Conclusions game 2 (Scroll Issue #009)

Tony – I’m worried now - that’s two wins in a row
against Paul’s Vampires which is unheard of!
The game started slowly for the EOS apart from taking
out the cadaver wagon. I kept the line together and
tried to break up Paul’s line with chaff where possible.
The Varkolak got cornered by the giant who eventual-
ly killed it off (although he took 5 wounds and almost
broke) and Paul kept the vampire spawn back due to
the volley gun. In the end, the volley gun managed to
control the centre of the table until Paul tried to rush
it with the spawn and bats. This is when the volley
gun proved itself completely ineffective at shooting
although it had succeeded in controlling much more
board space than maybe it should.
Paul was happy to have his Alter of Undeath spend

most of the game chasing and killing the Reiters on a
flank which was fine by me as I wanted to keep it out
of the centre where the game would be decided.
A long (long!) charge of the Knights of the Sun Griffon

neutralised the necromancer and his unit with ease
and reform in Paul’s Turn. Also, the priest’s hatred in
the flagellants, combined with battle focus and some Paul – Well, that did not go well. I always take away
good rolls, resulted in the ghouls not even lasting a a lot more from a game when I lose and this was no
round! exception. My turn 2 was when I made several mis-
takes, particularly with my placement of the bats.
My crossbowmen and state militia also seized objec- This was then compounded when I had a poor magic
tives away from Paul’s line and Paul knew the game phase. Tony was then able to capitalise with a little
was slipping away from him. luck with (yet another!!!) very long charge into my
necromancer and his unit turn 3. My ghouls disap-
Under pressure, the Vampire and his unit of Ghasts peared far quicker than I thought would happen from
tried to bring the battle back round by crushing my past experience and this left me with little option but
heavy infantry with spears which contained the gen- to try and push for a bit of luck in beating his generals
eral, BSB and mage. The mage went down after I block with all his characters. I could force a discipline
demonstrated how many dice I can roll without pass- 8 test with a re-roll. Although, I did forget he had min-
ing a 4+ aegis save but, overall, the combat was a stale imum dice roll in his favour here so my chances went
mate plus Paul’s magic was underwhelming to say the from slim to minute! In hindsight, I would like to have
least! This allowed me to engage the Ghasts in the taken out the hand gunners beside the spear block
side with the hand gunners and rear with the Knights first, however I did not roll high enough on the charge
of the Sun Griffon. A few lucky saves on the knights dice to have made it in so at least I got to kill his an-
and the volume of attacks and combat resolution re- noying wizard before being utterly destroyed.
sulted in his unit and general crumbling. I liked how the alter worked, giving me an answer to
the Rieters and I was lucky that the volley gun was
Obviously winning isn’t everything and it’s about en- performing under par which gave me the chance to
joying the experience although, this said, I did enjoy neutralise it however, it was all a little in vein. Still, I
the experience of crushing Paul! My thoughts are may have lost yet another battle but it is all about the
now on trying to win the final game giving me three next game and my thirst for vengeance!
out of three! Our final game will be interesting.
21
22
Tony Hayle – My list was based around the army from the previous
game. However, as there has been an update to the main rules, I
checked the points. Overall, the list came out as equivalent to before
however, after some discussion, we decided to drop my giant from
game two so not to detract from giants being summoned by wizards
on Power Locus’s. The points from the giant were spent on a second
unit of Knights of the Sun Griffon as I was sure they would make a dif-
ference in the game.
My plan for the extra points was simple; the game revolved around
wizards claiming objectives, so I wanted to spend as many points on
mages as possible. I also fancied a Knight Commander on Young Grif-
fon with the Crown of the Wizard King to join a unit of Griffon Knights. The Commander was topped off with
Titanic Might to scare Paul’s vampire should he think about picking a fight when I’m on a Locus. With three ex-
tra casters, I decided to add an Inquisitor for some flavour and an Engineer to help make my artillery effective.
I was happy with my army’s mix of ranged fire, number of wizards (quantity over quality) and some effective
combat units in the form of the Knights of the Sun Griffon. My plan was simple. I would try take control of
Power Locus’s early and keep Paul off balance with the ranged threat should he move his mages onto the
objectives early.
23
Paul Godbold – Well, given my poor performance in the last game,

I was keen to inflict my revenge whilst staying true to the theme of
the original army. Varg remained as he was however I swapped out
the Zombies for a couple of units of Skeletons with hand weapons and
shields. My traditional block of 40 Ghouls made up the rest of my core.
Varg had to have his bodyguard so in went the 7 Ghasts and I split the
Dire Wolves into two units of five to give me some much need chaff in
addition to the two units of Great Bats. The three Spawn, Shrieking
Horror and Varkolak were in the original army however, with extra un-
capped 1,500pts for this game, I wanted to use some of my other fa-
vourite models. I have not had much success with the Winged Reapers,
but I love the models so in they went. I also spent quite a bit of time
converting a Dark Coach and hadn’t used it so far during this campaign so that went in too! I then tied up the
list with two Master Necromancers for the game objective (one Evocation and the other Alchemy for some
armour piercing) and two Banshees for some much-needed range support.
The game plan? Not to lose for yet a third time! The game would be decided by controlling the Power Locus’s
late game so my thought was to kill off the wizards and artillery first, sacrificing units if necessary, so that I
could control those objectives with as little opposition as possible…
Game on Mr Hayle!
24
Varg ‘The Beast’

Vampire Count – Strigoi, Bestial Bulk, Paired Weapons, 665pts
Magical Heirloom, Wizard Adept (Shamanism), The Dead Arise

Henrik the Grim
Sheeva
Necromancy Master - 350pts 165pts
Banshee
Evocation

Jork
Gretel
Necromancer Master – 350pts 165pts
Banshee
Alchemy

40 Ghouls - Champion 660pts 2 Great Bats 90pts

24 Skeletons –
250pts 2 Great Bats 90pts
Full Command

25 Skeletons –
260pts 5 Dire Wolves 80pts
Full Command

7 Ghasts - Champion 560pts 5 Dire Wolves 80pts

Dark Coach –
4 Winged Reapers –
740pts Extended 445pts
Paired Weapons Chassis

3 Vampire Spawn 220pts Varkolak 335pts

Shrieking Horror 490pts Total – 5,995pts

25
Deployment
Today was the day. All previous events had led up to this point. Ahead were the Power Loci. Monuments of
great power that could be used to manipulate the Veil and bestow those who have the means with great pow-
er, albeit at grave risk.
Varg urged his forces forward, keen to take the advantage and rid himself of his bitter enemy once and for all.
Speed was vital this day. The voice in his head was keen for him to succeed, promising him powers beyond his
imagination; and Varg had a very colourful imagination…
Ahead were the impressive forces of Von Burg, arrayed in battle formations, resplendent with their gleaming
armour and impressive banners, ready to receive the undead advance.
Gunter looked to his left at Galileo. The cosmologist’s blue and white cape fluttered in the light breeze. He
hoped the mage was correct in his prediction. The power of the Locus could breach the Veil and expunge Varg
‘The Beast’ from history and end the stain on his family’s honour. If “The Beast” could be slain for good it
would finally conclude this painful chapter afflicting the Von Burg’s.
Turn 1
Maximillian could see the gigantic horror to the rear of
Thunder crashed above the field of battle. Air around the dead’s lines and, muttering words of the arcane,
the central Locus became charged due to the sheer unleashed a mighty spike. It flew straight and true,
number of wizards channelling and accumulating a silvery blur slicing into the undead beast, however,
power seeping into the mortal realm. As if using this despite the direct hit the massive creature’s fortitude
as an agreed signal, the Imperial army sprang into was sufficient to ignore the devastating blow.
action with the flanks rapidly advancing to encircle
the dead. To the rear of the lines, the mortar crew With a chill rush of wind, the reapers flapped their
lined up their first shot, igniting the fuse the war ma- wings and soared into the air, aiming their wrath at the
chine detonated seconds later in a deafening clamour. reiters before them. Choosing discretion, the horse-
Something had clearly gone wrong with the round men turned tail and fled knowing they would have no
in the breach. Staggered by the loss of his mortar, chance against the terrifying foe. Sensing their mas-
Gunter identified the bounding wolves as the primary ter’s will, the reapers altered their flight, closing the
threat. Over the sound of rolling thunder, he shout- distance faster than the huntsmen could have antic-
ed the order and Lead shot and magical fire engulfed ipated. They smashed into their thin line and swiftly
both units, turning them into inanimate corpses once pulverised them before surging into a stunned Von
more. Burg and his bodyguard of spears.
26
To the left, the Varkolak bounded into the resplendent Griffon Knights, catching them off guard. In a foray
of violence and gore, it grabbed the head of a young griffon and tore it clean off whilst in the same action,
reached forward to grab the dumbfounded knight from atop the stricken mount and hurled him into his com-
rades. Aghast by the slaughter of their companion, the two knights urged their mounts to flee, out pacing the
brutal beast behind them.
With a fell shriek, the spawn swept forward towards the volley gun whilst on Varg’s right, Sheeva let out a
dreadful wail, focusing her wrath at the reiters before her, culling two of their number.
27
Turn 2
Recognising that the battle was already in the balance, With a firm resolve, Galileo focused his mind to cast-
Gunter screamed a flurry of orders whilst fending off ing a spell of protection over the spearmen around
the reapers before him. To his right, Luthor lined up him however, a savage strike aimed at his head in-
the volley gun to decimate the spawn bearing down terrupted his focus and the spell dissipated before it
upon them. Turning the crank, the machine spat out could take effect. Another of the reapers blows was
a few rounds before jamming with a crunching sound. deflected by the wards surrounding the master mage,
ricocheting off harmlessly. Determined to fulfil their
On the left, Willhem spurred his young griffon into master’s wishes, the reapers focused their attention
Sheeva, ridding the field of the fell creature with a on the exposed mage, raining their blades down with-
sharp blow to her incorporeal neck whilst on the Im- out care for their own protection.
perial right flank, the reiters, seeing the huntsman
slaughtered, carried on with their flight and left the A reaper reeled as its body was pierced by numer-
field. ous spears before Gunter’s great sword found its
mark, separating the creatures head from its body.
Regaining their valour, the two remaining Knights of Another flare of light from the magical ward saw a
the Sun Griffon rallied and turned to face the oncom- killing stroke abated before the final blow of a cleav-
ing varkolak whilst, in the centre, Swartz whipped his er sliced through the mages protection. Shock and
flagellants into a frenzy and surged forward to engage terror flooded through Galileo as the cruel weapon
the foe. tore through his flesh, eviscerating the Master of the
Cosmos.
28
Inspired by their general’s valour, the spearmen Seizing the initiative, the dark coach galloped into
steadied themselves against the onslaught of fero- Willhelm the Bold, the grim scythes crippled the
cious reapers and closed ranks, forcing the dark magic young griffons’ legs and caused the proud warrior
binding the reapers to falter, causing them to collapse to fall from his mount beneath the fell chariot. Not
to the ground inert. losing any momentum, the coach continued into the
knights, keen to harvest their souls.
Seeing the war machine ahead of them malfunction,
the spawn took their chance and tore into the crew A darkness descended over the huntsmen as the Hor-
allowing their momentum to take them into the mor- ror landed before them, emitting a shriek so terrible
tar crew behind whilst, without slowing, the varkolak that all five fell dead from its cry where they stood.
smashed into the two knights before it mauled anoth-
er of the young griffons and ran the remaining knight
and his mount down as they turned to flee.
29
Turn 3
Seeing a vortex of power ahead of him, Magnus

mounted the Locus and immediately felt the pow-
er surge through him. Using this new-found force,
Magnus unleashed blast after fiery blast at the dead
around him, immolating a spawn and engulfing the
rampaging Varkolak with purging flame.
To Gunter’s left, Maximillian also ascended the spi-

ralling staircase before him, absorbing the new pow-
er and utilising it to focus another spike towards the
Horror. The bolt flew straight and true but, yet again,
the beast’s hide was too strong, and the silver streak
deflected off with no effect.
With the reapers collapsing before him, Gunter saw

his hated foe ahead. The vile Beast’s flank was ex-
posed. Not wanting to miss this glorious opportunity,
Von Burg ordered his men to charge! However, the
distance was too great and the charge faltered and
lost its momentum.
Without slowing, the Dark Coach tore into the young griffons, shredding two of their number and causing the
third to drop dead in fright whilst, on the other flank, the remaining spawn culled the mortar crew and con-
tinued their murderous advance into the terrified Luthor. The artificer stood no chance as the evil creatures
lifted him into the air and ripped him asunder.
Sacrificing yet another unit of bats to the flagellants, Varg saw his chance to overwhelm the fanatics and their
priestly leader. With a silent order, his bodyguard and the neighbouring ghouls charged into the fray. The
resulting combat was savage. The dead ripped into the frenzied zealots, killing and maiming many of their
number whilst absorbing horrific damage themselves.
30
Turn 4
The dead’s numbers were telling, and it wasn’t long

before Swartz was left wielding his mighty hammer
on his own. His courage finally failing, Swartz made
an attempt to flee but was dragged to the ground by
the numerous ghouls around him.
Horst, witnessed as the Horror before him shrugged

off yet another silver spike, decided to take matters
into his own hands. Screaming profanities, the inquis-
itor let loose with his pistols looking to end the evil
creature. The bullets punched into the creature's
hide but failed to bring the beast down.
Turning its massive bulk, the Horror shrieked with

fury at the bold human, the shockwave throwing the
Witch Hunter to the ground, bleeding from the ears
as his brain eventually burst inside his skull.
The Dark Coach carried on its murderous journey and

charged into the militia. Its scythes and deadly crew
dispatching the mortals like harvesting corn.
Meanwhile, Varg unleashed a swarm of insects at

Maximillian. The cloud of insects surrounded the
mage but the protective powers of the Locus protect-
ed him from most of the swarm. Cursing this missed
chance, Varg looked to the centre Locus for a sign that
the battle was over. Maigcal fire still raged hot, arcing
across the landscape; the battle was not yet won.
31
Turn 5
With a hoarse cry, Gunter rushed from the protection The climb was arduous but within moments, Varg
of his bodyguard in an attempt to scale the skull tower could see his prey. Leaping forward with vampiric
and smite the evil wizard siting in the throne of power. speed the mere human stood no chance against the
However, doubt overtook him and his step faltered. onslaught of the bestial monstrosity. Varg tore into
the exposed flesh, his jaws sealing the fate of the
Seeing his commander isolated, Handell Hoff, Gunter’s master alchemist.
loyal banner bearer, also left the spearmen, keen to
race his comrade to the top of the tower. Seeing the enemy general in the open and unpro-
tected, the skeletons seized their opportunity and
From his Locus, Magnus let forth his fury at Henrik charged into Gunter. Their swords fell clumsily, and
the Grim upon his throne of power. Balls of fire and no mortal blows were struck. Nevertheless, the mo-
searing flame battered at the powerful protections mentum of the charge forced the bold general to
offered by the throne. Magnus assault was relentless back away, out of reach.
and the necromancer was consumed by the flames.
Gretel spied Handell out of the corner of her ghost-
With the death of the wizard, Varg could feel the bal- ly eye-socket and she let out a shrill shriek which
ance of power switching to the humans. Overcome sapped the strength of the banner bearer, staggering
by an inner rage, Varg stormed up the eternity stairs, the veteran. In the centre, the hand gunners decided
keen to end the alchemy master’s control over the Lo- to engage the dark coach before them in an effort to
cus. With great bounds, he took the stairs two at a stop its carnage and momentum.
time and Maximillian could hear the creature before Meanwhile, to the Imperial rear, the crossbowmen
he saw him, Varg was making no effort to conceal his
approach.
32
were fighting for their lives against the vampiric Fearing all was lost, Gunter stared into the flames of
spawn but many of their number had already fallen the central Locus. Still, the fires continued to burn
to the violent beasts and the remaining men could hot and so the battle continued.
not be blamed as they turned tail and fled.
33
Turn 6
Seeing their general in danger, the captain of the

spearmen bellowed for his unit to charge. The body
of men swarmed through the shrieking banshee and
into the exposed flank of the skeletons.
Knowing that the battle was lost, Magnus focused his

arcane skills in an attempt to cause a rift in the Veil
and cause calamity to all on the battlefield. The fell
foe could not be allowed to wrest control such power
uncontested. Despite his reckless efforts, the Veil was
too stable to cause a significant rift to spill the immor-
tal realm onto the battle.
Handell Hoff looked about him in stunned silence. The

spearmen were dispatching the skeletons and taking
no losses, but he could see the approaching Horror
making its way towards Von Burg. Its dreaded wings
lifted it effortlessly into the air and its soulless eyes
were locked on the back of the unsuspecting Imperial
general. Hoff yelled to Gunter, warning him of the im-
pending danger but it was too late. In dismay, Handell
watched as the monstrous creature leaned forward
and emitted a scream so violent, it's force stripped
the very flesh from the noble’s bones.
34
Corpses littered the ground and the scent of blood, sweat and bile hung in the air.
The nights-sky was bright with Magical fire. The Loci were glowing white hot with
the immortal energy that had been dissipated across the landscape. Varg could feel
the power of the Locus flowing through him. He could also sense his minion Jork
using the power of his locus to fuel the central shrine. With the final words spoken,
a rift opened in the Veil and the flames on the Loci went out. Darkness descended
over the battlefield as black clouds filled the air. The only illumination caused by
purple lightning spitting about the central locus.
“And now, the power is mine!” Varg snarled as the ritual was completed. Within the
rift could be heard a low, booming laughter. The laughter burst through the fabric
of reality like a torrent of water through a burst dam. And with it rushed a legion
of demons of much greater size than his own. Varg unwillingly fell to his knees, no
longer in control of his own actions.
“You have done well my servant” Hermanubis spoke, “but now, I have souls to har-
vest…”
Conclusion:
Tony: Well that was a disaster! I must say that the Paul: Finally! The dice gods played ball and I was
game started poorly for me. I had a strategy to fo- able to steal the momentum and maintain it through-
cus on Paul’s characters, throwing everything at any out the game. The long charge by the reapers was
model foolish enough to step out of a unit and onto a nice but they still proved how underwhelming they
Locus. With that in mind, my plan utterly failed. are – killing a mage with a 4+ aegis and five spear-
The first turns magic and shooting phase were a dis- men before being completely wiped out. Thankful-
aster with the entire army having to focus on two ly, Tony didn’t make the 11” charge required to flank
units of 5 hounds - and they only just managed that! my Ghasts or it could have gone drastically the other
Turn 2’s shooting wasn’t any better and both war ma- way. The Varkolak was his usual self, causing Tony no
chines had misfired meaning they had no real impact end of bother. From experience I have learnt how to
on the game. deal with the pesky flagellant block that had caused
me so many problems in the past. A special mention
So was that the end - no not really. The disappointing should also go to the dark coach who also claimed
shooting phases led me to make some real blunders. many souls that day!
I chanced letting Paul have a long charge with the
winged reapers which cost me the cosmology mage. The game plan was simple – kill his ranged threat
Then in a rush to clear chaff, I split the knight com- (Tony did most of that for me!) and take the Locus’s
mander from his unit, the resulting charge from the late game. I wasn’t surprised when the Evocation
coach killed him outright! mage was burnt off his pedestal and I had to change
the game plan around turn 4 when I went for the al-
Two wizards down and my hope was that the game chemy mage rather than try and hold the central Lo-
would end before Paul could get ahead in the objec- cus. It was risky but paid off in the end. I like it when
tives. As we know, this wasn’t to be. Paul was able to a plan comes together and the bad guys win for once!
kill the alchemy mage and occupy his Locus. The pyro
mage wiped a necromancer from the opposite Locus
but the late comeback wasn’t enough and Paul got
the inevitable win. Boo hiss!
35
ARMY SHOWCASE
Article by Matt Perriss
I’m sure many of our UK readers know Matt and have seen his fantastic army. The army came to my attention
at The English Championships when it won “Best Painted Army” and I knew I had to show it off in the scroll.
This article is not only a showcase of Matt’s fantastic Orcs and Goblins army, but is an insight into the deepest
darkest mind of a true hobby gamer!
I clearly remember the moment when I decided to Until one day, several decades later, I felt irresistibly
take painting seriously. I’d only got back into playing drawn back to the minis of my youth. Having dragged
Warhammer for a few months having had a sizea- them hither and tither and pretty much all around the
ble break from the game when it happened. It was world, I unpacked the little guys and felt the familiar
a sad day but also the beginning of something that tug of utter fascination that I hadn’t experienced in
I think was beautiful. But I’m starting in the middle the better part of 20 years. Bugman’s Dwarf Rangers,
and I guess I need to start at the beginning. So, grab Heroic Fighters of the Known World, The Lichemas-
a coffee, beer, or whatever else you prefer and get ter and others slowly revealed themselves from the
ready to hear about how I ended up letting a Green- packing crates of the 1980’s.
skin army basically take over my life. I hope that you
enjoy the tale a fraction as much as I did creating it. I was hooked once again but where to begin again?
My investigations led me to the local GW shop and
Like a lot of wargamers I started in my early teenage the beginnings of an Empire Army, and with my next
years where I enjoyed an abundance of enthusiasm stop on memory lane taking me to Milton Keynes
but little patience, skill or, crucially, money but in Wargaming Society in Stony Stratford and often-time
those first few experiences I was hooked. There were lair of the ubiquitous Mark Borland. Mark’s a great
few moments that could beat the thrill of birthday bloke and a real stalwart of the gaming world and
money and new purchases. When my grandmother he was kind enough to give me a few games with my
took me to buy the WHFB rule book set (including nascent Empire army. He subsequently dismembered
the Magnificent Sven) AND Bloodbath at Orc’s Drift I me with his (then) Wood Elves, and almost apologet-
very nearly wet myself (HPM: showing your age now, ically destroying unit after unit, he would still offer
Matt). But as many do, my focus waned through my advice like ‘Get a BSB’ (told you I was a noob) and
adolescence as both beer and the fairer sex captured then ‘You need a Stank’ eventually ‘Drop in a Pope
my gaze and so I became interested in the hobby only mobile.’ Slowly, but surely, I got better (but not good).
from afar, gazing through the window of GW shops. I think I may have even made Mark think about his
moves once or twice or maybe that’s how I choose
The Boat, or as I call her, the Good Ship Lollipop.’ It used to have a display board but sadly I lost it, but it was
great, let me tell you.
36
to remember it, anyway, you can’t play Mark for ever camouflaged themed Wood Elf army made from the
and so I moved onto a new opponent. Not to put a ruins of Osgiliath. I worked on an VC army too but had
fine point on it, but this new opponent utterly rinsed to sell it for reasons too bizarre to go into here, but if
me as well. On the last occasion, as he picked up his you buy me a beer I will tell you what happened. Fi-
dice to make the final charge into my comet wrecked nally, I began a dwarf list based on Bugman’s Rangers,
army with his wall of giant dinosaurs, he looked at me but I wasn’t feeling the love of the stunties. I knew
with a mixture of imminent victory and a touch of pity that I wanted to do something different and after
and said: about three years of painting seriously I felt ready for
the plunge and a new army but this time with a new
‘You’re not very good at playing this are you? Maybe twist; No GW models. The idea was to go to South
you should try painting.’ Coast Grand Tournament with it and try to win. This is
basically the biggest painting trophy in the UK.
And so I did.
As it happened the “Great Sundering” occurred. By
I started with a High Elf Army and I had an idea that the time I was ready to go with my new army, War-
the movement trays would fit together to make an Elf hammer had changed and my models were on the
Warship. I Scratch built the project from coffee stir- wrong bases and I wasn’t going to change them. To
rers that took me about a year to get it ready, and be honest the whole thing made me a bit cross and I
when it was I was amazed and a little delighted to win don’t really get angry, so that’s the equivalent of me
a bunch of best painted awards with it. Obviously, I screaming livid. My chance to win the Big One had
was losing most of my games (who am I kidding? Vir- gone and I’d just have to accept it. My personal life at
tually all of my games) but it did give me the freedom this point exploded and I packed the little men away
to indulge my other passion of heavy drinking. for a couple of years but then happily resurfaced in
Manchester just in time to see T9A begin to spread
A Warriors Army was my next project which was com- its wings. So out came the paint again and my moth-
plete with tiered rock bases made from polystyrene balled army was unpacked. They were in a sorry state.
that was dry brushed. This was followed by an urban After some tears and a whole bunch of super glue and
paint repair I was ready to get back in the swing of it.
37
ARMY SHOWCASE
‘Goblin Pirates – Rackham at their magnificent best.’
To begin, the theme was inspired by the Pirates of the organic how they stand. They are probably the most
Caribbean. You know, Pirates and stuff, so I searched fun unit I’ve ever painted but the next bunch are a
about and found these guys. close second.
Some research into goblin pirates led me to a very At this point I fudged the theme to be Swamp Pirates,
happy discovery: Rackham Confrontation. Recently mainly because I found that Rackham did orcs too and
resurgent, this French miniature company and skir- they weren’t pirate-y but could be swampy. Weeks of
mish game had a range of the most exquisite models. Ebaying later, these chaps happened.
They’re not cheap but they are beautifully cast and
brimming with character. Unfortunately the company I can’t remember why the blue thing occurred, but it
appeared to have gone bust and so it was a tricky job did. I often work like this, where I have an idea of how
to chase down the models I wanted. Fortunately Ebay it might look but it never turns out that way and I just
is a wonderful thing and I managed to get 40 together try to go with the flow. This unit is heavily dry brushed
which I painted up and stuck them on a scratch built and I think it ‘pops’ in a cartoony way which is what I
pier made from coffee stirrers (Again!). was after. Then I did free hand tattoos all over them
individually. The orcs will only rank up one way and
I wanted a completely non-conformist look with so I have their numbers under the bases which is not
a mixture of colours as well as chaos in the ranks. very orc-like, but I like them nonetheless. The Sea
Gobbos should be a mass of hooligans, hooting and Troll came all the way from Hong Kong and cost a for-
shooting as they pile into the opposition. Then run tune but I think it was worth it, so I made him a hut to
away. Some of these models are just brilliant such as live in. The snotling whizzing about on his chain and
the copper diving suit and lobotomised monkey with the anchor the troll carries fall off about twice a day
a flintlock pistol, they all have so much variance. I’ve and I can generally be found loyally regluing it; I use
never settled on a best way to rank them up, it’s just a lot of glue.
38
39
ARMY SHOWCASE
You might notice the GW snotling. This is the only GW model in the army, but I made an exception because
snotlings are ace. It’s also a nod to an event in my life that will happily tell you about (over a beer which I’ll
buy you this time).
40
No Greenskin army is complete without nutty artil- ‘I love the falling hang glider and his teddy, the git
lery and I wanted to capture the insane style of these jumping off the top is so psyched to take out some
fruit-loops in my models; hang gliding gits, crazy see- armour.’
saw git lobbers and skewerers in varying states of
operational effectiveness. If you’re going to play with
Greenskins then you have to accept that sometimes
they turn up and do unholy damage but More often
they don’t. I think we all still love it for the one time a
git skewerer drops an Exalted Herald, that’s when it’s
all worth it. Those little guys make me laugh, even if
they cost me games.
Obviously, you need some fire power in your list, so

I looked to a bunch of hard hitting units. Now, please
remember that this army was acquired at a time
when gnashers were called squigs. Continuing with
the theme of swamps, I spotted the Malifaux range of
Bayou goblins and their pigs. Pigs? Squigs? See what
I’m doing there? It doesn’t work as well with Gnash-
ers but the concept is sound. These superb models
are bolstered by the Sommer Jones characters that
join the Gnashers in their herd. They drink heavily
and keep the Gnashers in line by firing wildly into the
air, for some reason I feel an affinity to these guys!
41
ARMY SHOWCASE
Malifaux and Rakham provided the models for the

wrecking teams too. These models just scream insan-
ity and so I went with the idea of chaining together
spiky motor bikes! Again, if they go off they are awe-
some, but often they don’t.
Scrap wagons are one my favourite concepts. I like the

idea of a load of tiny goblins barrelling into their ene-
my in/on a rickety swamp machines. To fit my theme,
I went with a war canoe and a homemade submarine,
which are words that should never be put together!
S-class Gobblas Revenge and trophy tally markings
were used to make the flat surface of the balsa wood
pop.
For the elite iron orc unit I went back to Rackham
and uses their armoured orcs plus a cool beast model
from the same range. I built them a raft to be punted
about on by snotlings, who are punting from the cor-
rect end for all you Tabs out there. Google it or bite
your fist in rage! Oxford Rules!
It’s hard to find characters for this army. To be honest

I don’t remember where I got them, but I love the
BSB and the Orc Shaman which are, admittedly, the
models I am the least happy with. I think characters
get too much attention and I want them to blend in
and when they are in the units they seem to. A lot of
characters seem to be incongruous with armies. And
yes they should be on wyverns, wolves, massive spi-
Below: ‘Iron Orcs - Adding a bit of class to an other- ders or chariots but there’s a limit you know. Anyway,
wise vulgar brawl.’ here they are in, what passes for their glory.
42
‘The Decision Makers – Getting It Wrong Since ‘62’
Right. Display boards. You ei-

ther love them or hate them
but me, I love them, which is
why I did one. I really think it
pulls the army together, but it
does mean that you need to
find the same grass flock and
moss that you used years ago.
I think that we will increasingly
see display boards popping up
on best painted nominations,
which I’m not sure if its good
or bad but I think it’s happen-
ing; Blame the Americans.
43
ARMY SHOWCASE
It’s worth noting though that if you are planning a One last thought on painting. The new ranges of resin
display/concept army then there isn’t much flexibility models don’t do it for me. I’m not really sure why but
in list building. If the movement tray is built for 40 there’s something about the metal miniatures that
goblins then 40 it is. Every. Single. Game. This can be makes me smile. Maybe it’s memories of those first
limiting but it is also my excuse for why I’m so bad at precious purchases as a kid, but the way they paint
T9A; Such is the price you pay to look good! isn’t the same as the new stuff. The resin models
have these great edges for highlighting but for me the
So, that’s the army. I reckon it cost as much as a rea- pleasure is in the character and I will always see that
sonable family car and took me the better part of 2 in metal which is just my opinion.
years to paint. That said, I’m a teacher and get mas-
sive holidays so take from that what you will. It’s been I hope you have enjoyed this insight into my army.
a big part of my life through some ‘interesting times’ Thanks for reading.
and I’ve loved pretty much everything about it, apart
from the re-gluing; that sucks. But the time has come
now for the guys to be put out to stud, or whatev-
er they do, as a new project awaits; Something to do Getting Battered On A Table Near You
with a siege I think. @matt_perriss Twitter
44
‘Some of the Best Painted Trophies – The English Championships and English GT Finals amongst them.
45
Best day of the year, to our orcish cousins? Feast of Zagjan, others
also call it Festival of the Bear’s Heart. Three days of drinkin’,
fightin’ and feastin’, and whats more is it’s for the gods and that
means the Big Boss foots the bill. With all those hungry and
fighty orcs around, it’s a dangerous place to stand when you’re
little - so we goblins tend to steer clear, just like most outsiders,
unless you can rely on the Warlord for protection.
Best days means great, exciting brawls! Orcs like to scuffle, to beat
each other, even if killing is forbidden, “accidents” can happen.
Broods clash with each other to prove they are better at fighting
and hunting: something hard for us to cope with since we love the
secrecy of night and caves, while they love their open, ridiculously
direct and brutal fights. Where we love politics and value our
sneaky tricks, they love conquering others, burning through
resources and consuming all they can find on their way.
Ah, I loved being there at the legendary Feast, where the most
important business of the tribe usually takes place. Whenever the
brood of the Warlord isn’t winning, he might have bigger issues
than the contests, and he may need to crack some skulls, or his
own might end up on a plate.
Survival of the fittest, of the strongest, or the one most able to win
a fight is what drives the apparently simple mind of our bigger
cousins, but what the eyes of humans and elves can’t see is deep into
the blood of the orcs! While the others are entangled in senseless
luxuries, pleasures and wasteful arts, our cousins do everything to
overwhelm their weakness and those of their enemies!
Madness and chaos is all you would see but challenges everywhere
is what an orc sees. Fighting or hunting, brawling or chopping,
drinking or riding, everything has a purpose: proving their brood
is better than all others. This way they train every day and this
way they prepare to crush their enemies.
46
All kinds of games happen across the Festival, some of them known
even among you humans. Most famous to you lot is the Flight of
the Flaming Pig.
Oh, you’d love to see it. You know, orcs love those furry wild pigs!
We hate em’, but that fur could blunt a stabber and gets stuck in
the teeth. Which is why their shamans created this salve to burn
the hair off. It was supposed to cook the pig too, only... Well, one
shaman uses the salve and sets fire to a live wild pig, decides to
throw it in his panic and you have a burning pig that sets fire to
a whole camp, suddenly you have a new orc sport.
Something which has such a destructive potential is something an

orc loves. So every brood picks its biggest orc to launch a pig. To
see them lined up, they look like a battlement of rockets. When the
Warlord raises his hand, all of the pigs are ignited by another orc,
and when the hand is lowered, the pigs are hurled.
What happens next is in the hands of the orc-gods, and it’s a

terrible mess if you ask me. Once all the flames are extinguished,
the pig that went farthest wins - or rather its brood does. This pig
does get to live - that fur grows back thicker than ever - and they
make the best mounts.
For the rest? Well, let’s just say roast pork is the main dish on the
third day’s feasting, and it never tasted so good.
Excerpt from A Thousand Nights: from the Caves of Western

Augea to the city of Avras, by Sventaromsag, goblin translator
of Lord Heinrich.
47
MAKING TERRAIN FOR THE 9TH AGE
Article by Little Joe
Welcome back! This time I invite you to take a look at how to create a second piece of terrain you will likely
need for the 9th Age: Hills. The article comes with a quick and easy to build tutorial.
Hills - The rules

“Hills are opaque terrain for units behind them.”
Opaque terrain blocks line of sight to and from units
behind them and so a hill should be high enough
to show that it blocks line of sight for immersion.
In practice this means anywhere between 30 and
50mm of height and a solid piece of terrain to block
line of sight. With this in mind terrain builders can ig-
nore all the other rules for cover, elevated position
and a charge bonus since all criteria are already met, Probably the second most made hill type is the mesa
as they only matter if you want the hill to specifically or tepui (Table Mountain, Mount Conner) and this
support some of those rules. type of hill has vertical cliffs on some sides. These hills
are made by erosion and offer options to add some
Inspiration fancy colors to your tabletop or show artifacts from
Hills are really that simple at the core but I do want the past hidden in old layers.
to challenge you in rethinking hills a bit from simple
blobs we often see on the tabletop battlefield.
Other shapes would be hills with terraces for agri-

culture or habitation like rice paddies, vineyards, tea
I guess this is the image many people have of a hill. fields, Machu Picchu. You can add irrigation to break
Let’s begin by talking about texture; this hill is covered up the hill with a different texture and color. When
in grass but it might just as well be covered in snow, made of stone this type of hill also exists as manmade
rough and patchy scrublands or just barren. Man is flat pyramids like the Tlatelolco pyramids, Inanna Zig-
known to stack raw materials into mounds such as gurat in its current shape, or Copán.
stones, tree trunks, garbage and basically anything
you can stack or make a pile out of. Since The 9th
Age is a fantasy setting, it offers many more materials
for hills to be made of other than common dirt and
grass. If we think more outside of the box, hills could
be made of bodies, dwarven beer barrels, skulls or a
crumbled down temple; it could even be low floating
islands chained to the ground with steps or ladders
up to the hill.
48
How about dunes with one steep slope and long A Simple Hill
slopes on the other sides? Dunes do not need to be This hill will be very easy and cheap to make for any-
flat and boring, they have wave like patterns all over, one as this tutorial is for making a very sturdy table-
as Plants, the sea, or wind often control their wander- top hill from simple cardboard. Many of us buy loads
ing. You might even completely skip the flat top and of stuff that comes in boxes, so let’s use them for ter-
go for charge bonuses only. Another example of this rain!
shape of hill would be hobbit homes or entrances to
underground burrows. Materials needed:
• Two corrugated cardboard boxes (super market
It's important to remember that hills can contain fruit boxes are a perfect example)
many small features to spice them up and make them • A cereal or miniatures box.
different on the tabletop. • Masking tape
• Sand
Considerations when building hills • PVA (wood or white glue)
Very simple hills do not need much consideration, or
if you want, you can decide to go fancy. Both options Tools used: strong scissors, hobby brushes and sand-
have their own challenges for terrain builders when paper.
the terrain needs to interact with units and models
on the tabletop. Regardless of your decision you need
a relatively flat top and slopes that are not too steep,
so your models do not slide off. From the flat top of
the hill we can decide the top footprint to use. It's
also important to remember that making more real-
istic angled slopes can sometimes leave less useful
space on top of a hill. Finally, you need to think of
the hybrid functionality of a hill with a cliff to some
sides or do you want your hill to be open terrain? Per-
haps you want your hill block movement? I have also
purposefully used the word “cliff” since that is a ter-
rain feature on its own, and while cliffs added to the
sides of hills can look great they should generally be
considered as open terrain. Having one or two side(s) I had a small box which I cut at the 4 corners to make
modeled as large cliffs can reduce immersion from it into 4 sheets of cardboard. You can ignore the
the game if you are “counting” them as open ground bends of the flaps as you just need to remove the tiny
as per the rules. flaps that were used for gluing the box together. The
second stack is from a bigger box which I made sure
The most common solution is to think of hills as oval to cut large enough with the wave pattern perpendic-
boxes with small vertical sides. You create an edge, ular to the cardboard of the small box.
ignore the slope and focus on just having top surface.
This needs a bit of design to not make the hill impos-
sible to scale. You should keep in mind that the 9th
Age allows large terrain pieces that give you enough
top surface to work with and make nice edges.
Sometimes you want a hill at the table edge and

might want one side with a vertical edge. If you have
this feature on 2 hills, you can use this to make one
bigger hill out of 2 smaller hills. If you make a hill for
a corner, you need 2 vertical sides and 4 can make a
huge hill or 2 make a large hill for the longer edges of
the table.
49
The next steps are really simple; I started with a basic

shape for the top and went from there. Just pick a size
you want, for reference I went with a 110x150mm
oval shape. This size should be based on what unit
sizes you want to be able to stand on top of the hill.
Then you glue a cardboard sheet with perpendicular
waves under the top and crop it to have very little
overhang. Use a few drops of glue as there is no need
to spread it out.
After making sure the first 2 layers are perpendicular

you can glue the next layers together a little less neat-
ly. Alternating the alignment so each stack is rough-
ly perpendicular with the corrugated card will make
the hill sturdier. Let each new sheet you add dry for a
minute or two and weigh it down with a heavy object
(e.g. a hardcover rulebook). While the weight is not
really needed I find it stops you from touching the hill
for that minute. When done I had a hill shaped stack
of cardboard about 27mm high.
I used a solid round object (glass jar) to flatten the

edges a bit and then used masking tape to bridge the
gaps. At the bottom edge I split the tape in two, this
makes it easier to stick it under the hill and prevents
wrinkles. This is the same method I used last time on
bases, you do not need a lot of masking tape at all.
Less is better.
I left a few spots open which I patched up with papi-

er-mâché. I then added sand to the hill surface to give
it a strong shell and some texture. I use undiluted
PVA to glue the sand on the hill and then soak it in a
1:3 diluted PVA/water solution to seal the sand into
place. No need to be tidy now at the edges, we will
fix that in the next stage. The top and sides should be
well covered during this step.
50
I anticipated some warping and to fix this you can When everything has dried it is time to paint. I use
use the cardboard from a cereal or miniature box and wall paints for the base because you can get them
glue it under the hill. If you have wrinkles or a bit of cheap and as often as you want with the color
papier-mâché under your hill, just sand it flat. Next code. I started dabbing the base color on and then
use a piece of thin cardboard larger than the hill, but stabbed the hill with a small brush adding some
this time spread out the glue and stick it to your hill. grey, a darker brown and a dark green. I then dry-
Put something heavy on top and let it set for about 30 brushed the hill with a light brown, a light grey and
minutes. After this add sand to the rim again if need- a beige for highlights.
ed. As a bonus you get a nice finish to the bottom of
the hill. To finish it off and match it to the forest I added a
bit more color and flocking. Remember when mak-
I did not have such a box at hand, so I used a sheet ing terrain, do not go over the top at first, instead
of smooth cardboard I had laying around. It is 3mm keep it simple with a few flocks. Get playing and add
thick, so now I have a 30mm hill which is perfect for over time as required. This hill has just one type of
gaming. When you want to be really sure to avoid static grass and a bit of sawdust glued on and paint-
warping, leave the hill to fully dry with weight on top ed with the same colours.
overnight.
51
This is my set of hills, terrain is timeless and a good in-

vestment. I started with a simple hill set, one normal
hill and a hill in 2 parts. I made these from an MDF
base with Styrofoam on top. These did not look like
this immediately after I made them. Over the years I
have added more static grass, rocks, flock, color and
bits - No need to start fancy. You can go back to ter-
rain like you repaint or upgrade your miniatures. Add-
ing over time is also a great method to blend terrain
you made into one big set that matches. I only have
one rule for hills: keep the top simple!
The three hills set has an abandoned dwarven road going over them and road signs themed with my two other
main armies as I like to add these stories to terrain. When building a grave mound, I added an encampment
for grave robbers, a big tree being killed by a parasite bush and an entrance that has been laid bare and crum-
bled. Because the side with the entrance is impassable, all rules for hills still apply. Make sure you still have a
functional hill at the end.
Hopefully my tutorials will inspire you to try your hands at terrain building!
52
“You’ll die with a little help from my friends”
Download for free the full rulebook for your miniature army at the-ninth-age.com
53
HOME BREW: SPECIAL AND LEGENDARY
CHARACTERS Article by Henrypmiller
This article leads on from the last scroll article, asking the community what new units they would like to see
in The 9th Age. I have asked the community over the last two months, what Special or Legendary Characters
they would like to see, on behalf of the Community Engagement Team.
This has proven to be a contentious subject as I Initially had resistance internally. There were many differing
opinions about if this question should be asked and how it should be asked. There were concerns that Games
Workshop Special Characters would be re-written and doted on; this is of course something that The 9th Age
must avoid. Instead, the Background Team would prefer to come up with a new pantheon of legendary he-
roes and furthermore, with much of the background still under development, it was thought to be difficult for
the community to come up with something that would consistently fit the background of The 9th Age world.
What was agreed upon therefore was to ask specifically for “Archetypes” of special characters that the com-
munity was interested in.
When put to the community, this again pertained to be a contentious subject. There was one (highly vocal)
camp that thought special characters should not be included - Period. Others had the opinion that they should
be included only as auxiliary choices. Whereas others want full Balance-team-Approved leaders for their ar-
mies.
What I want to do in this article is outline the discussion about special characters and give my thoughts on
how they could be included in The 9th Age; I might also give a few “Archetype” suggestions.
54
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Firstly, I want to outline the argument not to in- develop a stronger narrative to their games. Especial-
clude special characters. In the past some of these ly the younger players whom The 9th Age is probably
uber-characters have had rules which were very over- struggling to capture. This in itself is probably the sin-
powered compared to regular characters. This was gle most important reason for adding legendary char-
largely down to background driven, and let’s face it, acters to the background and to the rules.
sales driven, rules writing. They were the legendary
heroes of a world coming to an end; prime movers Lastly, what the setting of the 9th Age is lacking is a
in an epic saga and In the game they might have cost protagonist and an antagonist. In every fantasy story
half your army, but they could almost take on an en- (well every successful novel, series, movie) there has
tire army single handedly and were very difficult to to be one or the other, or both. Whether it is a force
kill. of darkness like Voldemort, Cersei Lannister, Thanos
This of course is very bad for competitive gaming. Hav- or Sky Net, or a force of good like Gandalf, Superman,
ing a choice in an army book which is an almost au- Buffy or Obi Wan; The 9th Age needs a pivot point and
to-win, not to mention a Rock-Paper-Scissors match- a story to invest in. It’s all well and good to have an
up, is something highly undesirable for a balanced open setting that we can brawl in and play make-be-
game. Yes, you could balance these powerful pieces lieve. However, without a solid storyline there is no
with a high points value, However, this would take reason to fight. Special characters add this narrative
away from your army feeling like an “army.” One pow- and even just a name of a character and their motives
erful centerpiece character and a couple of scoring sets the mind racing towards possibilities. Character
units does not constitute what many see as a massed builds, home brew scenarios, rules and literature to
battle game. reflect a passage of text could grow out of the men-
With the majority of the 9th Age players wanting a tion of the name of a Vermin Demon intent on the
balanced game where “armies” clash, it is easy to un- destruction of the Empire of Sonnstahl and their hu-
derstand why many players are skeptical about special man-hero antithesis, these are all needed if The 9th
characters – Is this something that could be limited to Age is to evolve past a nicely balanced chess game
non-tournament games or auxiliary army books? In with miniatures.
the past the special characters had an unwritten (or
perhaps written?) rule that they should not be used in Aside from the benefits of expanding the narrative
tournaments (unless specifically allowed) and only at of our games, special characters can also add to the
your opponents’ discretion in friendly games. gameplay itself. Having characters that cultivate an
element of an army or allow certain builds not nor-
On the other hand, there are a lot of arguments for mally permitted (at the expense of another element
the inclusion of special characters in the 9th Age. of the army) can add to games in the same way as an
Most importantly, special characters provide a nar- auxiliary army book or a rules expansion. There are al-
rative and depth to our games. As soon as you add ready some instances of this in the current rules. The
motive and a “why you are fighting” factor to games, Queens Cavalier Honour in the Highborn Elf book or
it becomes more intense, more immersive and less the Wildheart Big Name in the Ogre Khans book gives
of a chess match with models. A great example is the the army a certain character, adding options such as
Sundering of the Giant Isles series, culminating in this extra dragons or extra monsters at the expense of
issue of The 9th Scroll. I can promise you that Paul other elite units.
REALLY wanted to win, both because of his poor per-
formance in the last two games and because he was Furthermore, the addition of characters with special
invested in his character (Varg the “BEAST)” succeed- rules or items that change the game in a specific way
ing against his mortal foe, Gunther Von Burg. such as facing a character that is tough to kill, or a
Even adding characters that do not have rules can piece of terrain that is a no-go zone, adds a new and
add this kind of immersion. Just having the names of interesting challenge to a game. Not to mention both
the Kings/leaders/rulers of each army and a little info elements adds narrative.
about them would go a long way to inspire narrative
armies and themed lists, not to mention painting and Why can’t we just make our own special characters
modelling armies to fit a theme. While this kind of list for our own armies and in-game builds? Why don’t
or game is very casual in its nature, there is a signifi- you just create your own background for your armies’
cant player base that would appreciate an add-on to
55
HOMEBREW: SPECIAL AND LEGENDARY CHARACTERS
generic character? There is nothing stopping you do- Implementing Special Characters
ing that and there never has. But there is something It is important to discuss to what extent special char-
more special to an “official” character and sanctioned acters should be included in the 9th Age. There are
“why factor.” If my Goblin King really hates the rat- several levels of immersion, and several reasons why
men that’s all well and good. However, if an “official” special character options could make interesting ad-
9th Age special character that has an in-depth back- ditions to an army list or a game.
ground and multiple stories, fighting age long wars
against the Vermin Swarm, more is at stake when Firstly, and most comprehensively, special characters
you play your games. Furthermore, without an estab- could, like in the old days, be legendary level charac-
lished and official map of the world, it is hard to (cur- ters with powerful rules and stat lines. We all know
rently) geographically locate a hometown or base for these are not balanced or necessarily fun to play with,
your own special characters and armies. but they could be used as tools for the background to
work from and could be used in fun “garage games”
It is also much easier to follow a narrative if you are for the hobbyist. Some people I am sure would go for
playing against someone you don’t know if there is an this kind of narrative option.
established narrative. For example, I have a Varkolak
named Polly who tends to go on rampages against my
friends and while this is very fun when playing in my
social circle, when Polly dies I feel the loss a bit more
than another model. If I rock up at a tournament and
go on about “Polly the Varkolak,” my miscellaneous
opponent has no idea what I am talking about. On the
other hand, if Polly the Varkolak is an established spe-
cial character, she immediately has status and motive
in our game despite me never meeting my opponent
before.
56
There is a charm with this approach to heroic individ- Wildheart upgrades, however, it could be more ex-
uals. I have memories playing the Lord of the Rings tensive. Changing the options of an army to make it
game from Games Workshop. Equal points of Sauron play in a different way could be interesting. A good
and the orcs vs my elves and Elrond. I had an “army” example that is currently in the rules is the Åsklander
and he had a handful of orcs and one almost unkill- Auxiliary Army Book and the Barrow Legion option
able character. After methodically cutting through available for the Undying Dynasties. If special char-
the orc-chaff, my elves, led by Elrond, surrounded acter options existed in auxiliary compendiums, it
Sauron and slowly took wounds from the giant demi- would add another level to the 9th Age’s replay-abili-
god. The fight lasted round after round (probably way ty and more importantly, add immersion for narrative
longer than the game was supposed to last) and no games.
matter what, I couldn’t take that last wound off him;
It was truly epic and every round was exhilarating. We
kept asking ourselves “Would Sauron be vanquished
and the one ring fall into the hands of the elves?” I
remember it now, 13 years later, because it was so
much fun and the narrative so powerful. I think this
feeling is similar to when facing the Greater Demons
or the Ancient Dragon. You have a “helplessness”
when pitted against a single all-powerful monster/
character. You must bring it down at all costs and the
moment when it finally falls is a moment of glory and
above all else, you know you have won the day.
This is clearly a fun and narrative way of playing The

9th Age. But is it balanced for tournament play? I real-
ly think not. In a singles environment, where you have
no idea what you will face, an all comers list is unlikely
to have the tools to deal with something so unique.
For this reason, where the majority of the player base
cares about balanced match ups, this kind of special
character would not be welcome.
Another way of adding legendary characters from es-

tablished background to the game is by adding char- Legendary Character Archetypes of the 9th Age
acter upgrades. A single option per army for a “special My personal opinion is that legendary characters
character upgrade” of a generic character (or even should be given stories and background in the 9th age
champion) for a particular points value. The upgrade world. Names, places, history and motive are incred-
could give access to stat upgrades or special items or ibly important for immersion. I just don’t believe that
rules. I feel this is a more viable way of implementing “forging your own narrative” in a generic setting is a
special characters. It can give the feel of a more pow- powerful enough tool. Yes, it can be done, but it only
erful duelist or a more polarised magic caster. The has meaning after a series of events (such as a 3-part
problem with this strategy is that it could become be series in the Giant Isles). If we have this narrative al-
an auto include. If the option is more powerful than ready in our heads, a single game can become a part
a generic character, it will be an auto include despite of the characters legend. I want to finish this article
the price and therefore some of the immersion will be by giving some suggestions of how we can include ar-
lost. It will be in every army list and not feel “special.” chetypes in The 9th Age. I have drawn both from my
It must therefore come with some negative draw- own inspiration and from the community feedback.
backs to make the upgrade a hard choice to make.
As I said previously, if we want balanced special char-
A final way of implementing a difference from a ge- acters that can actually be used in games to exist, I
neric character could be that it unlocks a different don’t think they can stray too far from the current
play style or army composition. This is similar to what rules. For this reason, my first suggestion is an up-
I mentioned before with the Queens companion and grade to an existing character.
57
HOMEBREW: SPECIAL AND LEGENDARY CHARACTERS
Sylvan Elves - The Forest King

Forest King upgrade (100 points)
1 per army. Forest Prince with shapeshifter
This has been an option that Sylvan Elves players have
Kindred only.
requested for a long time. Without going into details,
it allows some iconic models to be used and makes
Model gains +1 Discipline, 4+ Aegis save and
the shapeshifter character more viable as an all-round
changes its base size to 50mm x 50mm.
combat character. You can also customize your build
with special equipment and regular gear. While a built
Special Rule: The Wild Hunt – If an army con-
in Aegis is powerful, the choice gives some downside
tains a Model with the Forest King upgrade, it
and limitations which means that taking the kindred
must also contain at least 1 unit of Wild Huntse-
without the upgrade is also an option. The 50x50mm
men.
base size is clearly not as good as a 20x20mm base
size and including a unit of huntsmen both adds narra-
The Forest King must always be the general. If
tive to the army and an extra “tax” to the special rule.
the Forest King is killed, the opponent gains 100
The risk is also much higher as the model must be the
additional victory points for killing the general at
general and if he dies, confers even more points on an
the end of the game.
already expensive model.
A solitary trumpet note rang through

the woods at our back, and I turned
to take in one last glimpse of the wild-
est and most awe-inspiring creatures
I have ever known. There, upon the
steps behind the boar stone, stood a
being of myth. The Forest King, in
all his splendor, and at his back the
Wild Hunt amid a gathering storm.
The braying of hounds filled the air,
and I could look no longer, but bent
over my horse’s mane. Every foot
of the ride I heard galloping hooves
behind us; every moment I expected
a spear in my back. I did not stop
at Corante, instead riding without
pause until I reached the sea – how
little I knew then of what that calm-
ing ocean held for me!
Excerpt from Thomas the Bard,
Tales of the Fey, Tome I, Beneath
the Bows, Epilogue
58
Dwarven Holds – The Lost Hold

Thane upgrade (100 points)
1 per army. Cannot be taken by the Battle stand-
Well…what can I say. It didn’t go in the new unit ar-
ard bearer.
ticle last issue, but I really like the idea of a solitary
dwarf who has lost his hold, roaming the tundra riding
Model gains Not a Leader and can never join or
a bear. In game it serves as an alternative flighty-chaff
be joined by units.
unit to steam copters for those not into steam-punk.
You can also customise the thane with runes and
Model gains a Great Bear mount.
equipment as you like.
I think these kinds of formats are most interesting for use in the 9th Age. They can be balanced easily and just
with some small tweaks to rules and a bit of background, can really make an immersive game.
Next months article is asking the question “What new Magic Items or Special Equipment would you like to see
in the next edition of the 9th Age?” You can find this on the General Discussion.
It is said there are dwarves in the north. High in the Jotun peaks where the
Åsklanders roam. Their holds are hidden by ancient runes and sealed in their
mountain strongholds. Closed off from the rest of the world, they amass wealth
and craft fantastic artifacts.
One of the most interesting stories I heard was of a lost hold. A group of enter-
prising dwarves set out from their mountain home in search of a trade route
between the Jotun Mountains and Avras. The trip took many years, and when
they finally returned, they could not find their home. Destined to live out their
years roaming the inhospitable peaks, these dwarves in their shame, became
increasingly desolate and isolationist. Seldom mixing with even their own kind.
Some, it is said, tamed the giant bears of the mountains and now use them as
mounts to better search for the lost hold.
I came across such a character on one of my journeys to the beacons. Gorik

Bearblood was his name and he communicated only with gestures. Yet his tired
eyes spoke of immense pain and suffering. I could not help but pitying the fellow.
From Sigmund Selig, The Beacons
59
60
TOURNAMENTS FOR
THE NEW HOBBYIST Article by James Mcdonnell
Until 12 months ago I hadn’t played 9th age (or any other tabletop game) with anyone aside from two friends
who live locally. This changed recently I took the plunge into attending tournaments and events both where
I live in Ireland and in further abroad in the UK. I’ve since learned that playing at tournaments is a stark con-
trast to playing in a garage at home with some friends. This article will share some advice I feel is useful to
help you get involved in the wider 9th Age scene. Hopefully this will encourage some others to make the same
choice as me, as I feel that making the decision to play in tournaments was the best hobby related decision I
have made.
Bring a list you’re comfortable with. Talk to your opponent.

Bring something you’re familiar with, not just some When playing the game chat to your opponent and
net-list that’s supposed to be the most competitive at make sure you’re both clear on the intention of unit
the time. If you use a list that you’re not familiar withplacement and their arcs of sight. It’s also important
or enjoy playing, you probably won’t do as well and to agree on the distance you’re leaving between two
more importantly you won’t have as much fun playing units and other important positioning in the move-
the game. ment phase. Making sure you both agree on these
things saves on unnecessary disputes or arguments
Know your list. later; it’s better to have an agreed upon distance be-
This follows on from my first point. When playing at an fore rolling for charges or to hit rolls! Also, just chat
event or even at a store meetup, finishing your game to them because it’s good to make friends in the hob-
in a set time is important. Knowing your army’s stats by and the majority of the people in the tournament
and rules for the models in your list will help you play scene are great people.
within the time limits; we all have to look up some
things during a game but it’s important to know as
much of your rules as possible beforehand.
61
TOURNAMENTS FOR THE NEW HOBBYIST
Double check when packing before an event. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
This one might sound obvious, but I managed to fly If there’s something you don’t understand or a rule
to another country for an event and not bring a tape you are unsure of, ask your opponent, a judge, or
measure with me! (Editor’s Note: It happens to the someone playing near you that has a spare moment.
regulars as well, I assure you! -HPM) People are generally happy to help and it’s okay to
check the rule book if you are unsure about a rule,
Don’t be shy. even if your opponent is positive about it.
Spend your lunch and breaks talking to the other peo-
ple at the event. As I mentioned above they’re likely Have fun.
to be all great people and generally everyone likes to Remember the main reason you’re spending your
talk about their hobby, and since you both play The money and taking the time to get to these events.
9th Age, you have the same hobby in common! Addi- Drink plenty of beer or coffee, eat loads of food, go
tionally, you will see the same faces at several differ- out for a meal or some drinks on the Saturday night,
ent tournaments so as you attend more events you or hang around the venue with other gamers if that’s
will know more and more friendly faces. an option. Just socialise, have fun and get to know
(Editor’s Note: If you can spot staff members, they are other people, as it’s a great way to make friends with
always happy to have a chat! -HPM) other hobbyists who you can keep in touch with. All
of these things make the hobby a lot more enjoyable,
both between tournaments and at the next event.
62
63
DOWNLOAD THE 9TH AGE RULE SET FOR FREE AT
THE-NINTH-AGE.COM
AND BRING YOUR ARMIES TO THE TABLE

The 9Th Scroll: Sundering of The Giant Isles Pt.3

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The 9Th Scroll: Sundering of The Giant Isles Pt.3

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THE 9TH

SUNDERING OF THE GIANT ISLES PT.3

HOMEBREW: SCENARIO PACK

THE 9TH AGE PRESENTS: ART CONTEST #1

Layout and creation of the Scroll

the 9th Age

THE 9TH AGE PRESENTS:

BACKGROUND TEAM Q & A:

HOMEBREW: SCENARIO PACK 16

SUNDERING OF THE GIANT ISLES PT.3 18

MAKING TERRAIN FOR THE 9TH AGE 48

HOME BREW: SPECIAL AND

The theme for this competition is: “Warriors of the

Warriors of the Dark Gods wallow in sin, while their

What are we Looking For?

This can be done by drawing, sketching or painting it

encouraged to first ask the contest organizer with Prizes

Rules of the Competition

Good luck everyone!

Note: should you wish to donate a prize to this or fu-

And I saw a white daemon before me and it came from Savar as

And I heard a voice in the midst of the beasts say, “A measure of

From the Book of Conspiracy, Chapter 6,

We created our own little gaming board (you can

Since, I have too much time on my hands right now, I

I will start public playtesting sometime in the upcom-

My main hope with this little side project is to give

Why do the Vermin Swarm have such an affinity for bells?

Do female greenhides and ogres exist?

When did the Naptaan Empire fall?

What is the Society of Eichtal?

Who is the mother of Henry the Young?

Scenario 1: Conquest Scenario 2: Keep it secret!

Push the opponent from the field of battle! Destroy Deployment:

Deployment: Secondary Objective:

Secondary Objective: 1. Kill the enemy general.

Opponents deployment quarter - 3 scenario points.

Scenario 3: Capture Scenario 4: Arcane Fulcrums

Markers cannot be placed within impassible terrain.

Starting from the second player’s second turn, if either

A marker is considered controlled by the player with

If a unit is within 6” of two markers, it only counts as

Scenario Special Rules

2. Summon Giant – Bound 4/8. The Wizard 3 Brain Drain…

The game hadn’t started well for me. By carefully

The first couple of turns didn’t inspire confidence as

Conclusions game 2 (Scroll Issue #009)

Paul was happy to have his Alter of Undeath spend

A long (long!) charge of the Knights of the Sun Griffon

Paul Godbold – Well, given my poor performance in the last game,

Varg ‘The Beast’

40 Ghouls - Champion 660pts 2 Great Bats 90pts

Shrieking Horror 490pts Total – 5,995pts

Seeing a vortex of power ahead of him, Magnus

To Gunter’s left, Maximillian also ascended the spi-

With the reapers collapsing before him, Gunter saw

The dead’s numbers were telling, and it wasn’t long

Horst, witnessed as the Horror before him shrugged

Turning its massive bulk, the Horror shrieked with

The Dark Coach carried on its murderous journey and

Meanwhile, Varg unleashed a swarm of insects at

Seeing their general in danger, the captain of the

Knowing that the battle was lost, Magnus focused his